Effects of urbanization on the wood anatomy of Guarea guidonia, an evergreen species of the Atlantic Forest

Landscape changes due to urbanization are reflected in the wood anatomy of Atlantic Forest species. Human activities have generated environmental alterations worldwide. Such impacts affect the development of trees and are related to a series of changes in wood anatomy. Thus, the analysis of wood can increase the understanding of how environmental alterations influence the hydraulic functioning of trees and their strategies for dealing with fluctuations in resources. To better understand how the modification of the landscape by anthropic actions can affect tree species, this work describes and compares the anatomical structure of Guarea guidonia, an evergreen species native to the Atlantic Forest, growing in a well-preserved forest, a peri-urban forest and an urban park in the Rio de Janeiro State. Wood samples from trees of each of these areas were analysed using optical microscopy and data were statistically compared among sites. Significant differences were observed among trees of different sites, such as smaller vessel element diameter, wider bands of axial parenchyma and wider rays in the urban park and greater frequency of fibres in the well-preserved forest. Guarea guidonia showed intraspecific variation related to the urbanization of the city of Rio de Janeiro, with a gradient of adaptations observed in relation to the proximity to the urban centre. The wood anatomy reflects the tissue reparation of the trees and indicates this species as bioindicator for biomonitoring studies.